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Midas’ Top Virtual Museum/Art Gallery Tours for Self-Isolation

Midas is here to help you get your culture fix whilst self-isolating!

We will be suggesting our favourite culture cures for isolation in a series of blogs – whether it is books, podcasts, TV shows, virtual museum tours and more. Check out the team’s top fiction books and podcasts for self-isolation.

This week in quarantine, we have been getting our visual arts culture fix by visiting museums and art galleries across the world. How so? Many of your favourite spots for arts are offering free virtual tours, so it’s time to sit back and explore beautiful exhibitions from the comfort and safety of your home. Here are our recommendations for Top Virtual Museum/Art Gallery Tours for Self-Isolation…

Anthony James at Opera Gallery, UKThough there’s nothing like exploring London’s amazing art galleries in person and seeing artworks in the flesh, it’s just as enjoyable to ‘virtually’ experience exhibitions. I’ve chosen Opera Gallery’s new exhibition dedicated to Anthony James, the world-famous light artist and sculptor of a new era where light becomes a tangible material. He’s one of the most exciting contemporary artists and you may have seen his work at Masterpiece where his huge LED geometric globe, also known as an Icosahedron, was the most Instagrammable artwork of the fair! This new exhibition at Opera Gallery is his first UK solo show and when procrastination is at its peak during this time of self-isolation, trust me there’s nothing more satisfying than gazing into his geometric light sculptures that propel you into a futuristic and hallucinogenic world.

Anthony James found a new sense of purpose through his art, inspired by mythology, Greek history as well as the historical cosmology of Plato. His artworks give a new, contemporary meaning to the words of William Blake: “To see a World in a Grain of Sand/ And a Heaven in a Wild Flower/ Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand/ And Eternity in an hour.” – Suzie Jacobs, Senior Account Manager

Gallerie degli Uffizi, ItalyWith my suggestion, I’m going back to my home country: in a moment of home-sickness, I did a virtual tour of the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence, which I visited with my family back in 2011, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

The Uffizi is one of the biggest museums in Italy, showcasing works by Michelangelo, Leonardo, Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio – you name them, they’re there. Not only can you do a virtual tour of the whole museum (which is much easier to navigate than the Louvre or the British Museum), but on their website they’ve also created a curatorial programme called HyperVisions – a series of micro-exhibitions that you can browse through high res images and captivating descriptions.

Italy’s cultural sector responded to the Covid-19 crisis with thousands of initiatives organised by MiBACT (Ministry of Culture) as part of the campaign #iorestoacasa (“I stay home”), to encourage people to enjoy the visual arts, music, theatre and literature while staying at home. – Anna Zanetti, Senior Account Executive

The Frick Collection Virtual Tour, USA
New York’s myriad museums are legendary. But they can be so big and crowded! The Frick Collection is an art gallery on an altogether more human scale. It’s the former Fifth Avenue residence of Henry Clay Frick, and houses his extensive art collection including masterpieces by artists such as Bellini, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Goya, and Whistler. Walking through the exquisitely preserved hallways is like travelling back in time 100 years. And the great news is the virtual tour is truly immersive, with audio commentaries, easy to navigate room-to-room VR, and interactive paintings and antiques you can click on to discover their history. Don’t miss the romantic Fragonard room, lined with the great French painter’s works, or the Garden Court, where you can imagine yourself sitting in tranquillity, listening to the gentle burble of water spouting from the fountains. – Amelia Knight, Associate Director

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo, BrazilThe Museu de Arte de São Paulo has one of the broadest historical collections available to view via its virtual gallery platform, spanning from the 14th to 20th centuries. As if by magic, paintings appear suspended in the air around the open-plan space, on glass panels or ‘crystal easels’, as the museum calls them. There’s also a temporary retrospective exhibition by Brazilian pop artist Teresinha Soares beside the building’s statement red staircase. The strikingly geometric glass and red-beam structure, built in 1968, is definitely worth a look from the outside too, via Google Street View. – Bei Guo, Intern

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